You took in a deep breath and looked up at the traditional Japanese building. After a full week of combat training with your uncle, you felt more prepared for today, but you could tell that you still had a long way to go. There were almost four months until you had to take the U.A. entrance exam. Hopefully, if you managed to beat Endeavor's son today, you could prove that you were worthy of a recommendation to get into said high school.

As you were about to ring the doorbell, someone opened the door to the Todoroki household. You stepped back. A boy, who was tall and rather muscular, stared at you with a blank expression. Half his hair was crimson red while the other half was white, paired with the mismatched colours of his eyes. You couldn't help but stare back at him, noticing the large burn scar on the left side of his face.

The silence was tense as if both of you were expecting the other to say something, but no words came out.

You gathered that he was around your age, so he was probably Endeavor's son - the one that you were meant to be fighting today.

"Hi, I'm (y/n) (l/n). You must be Endeavor's son?"

"Don't tell me my father made you come here," he said, venom lacing his voice. You could tell that you'd struck a nerve there, even though it had not been on purpose at all. He turned around and strolled down the hall, leaving the front door open.

You poked your head into the house and looked around. It seemed empty, no sight nor sound of anyone else being in there. "Does that mean I'm allowed in?"

As you walked in, the wooden floor creaked with every step you took. You had decided that you were going to fight and show your absolute best. Yet, this newfound confidence soon vanished when you realised you were still wearing your shoes.

After facepalming yourself, you tip-toed back to the entrance and left your shoes there, organised next to some white trainers.

You straightened your collar as you heard some strident, heavy footsteps approaching you. Pull yourself together, (y/n). Now is not the time to be getting distracted.

"I see you have arrived just in time. Shoto is in the training grounds already," Endeavor stated, taking a last step towards you. He scanned the entrance, searching for a sign of the unrecognised hero who, in Endeavor's opinion, had wasted his quirk by working alone in his agency. "Isn't your uncle with you today?"

"No, he is working."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "That's a shame."

You followed Endeavor down the hallway, keeping your distance while wondering whether he ever worried if he could set his house on fire and whether he kept his quirk permanently activated.

And what about Shoto? You needed to touch your opponent to activate your quirk, which would be easier if his body wasn't on constant fire like his father's. Your stomach churned at the thought that those very same flames put your father in hospital.

As you reached the training grounds, you came to a stop, catching sight of the half-and-half boy's impassive face again. What on Earth had your uncle signed you up for?

Aside from staying sat down, with his elbows on his knees, Todoroki refused to acknowledge your gaze. Even then, he could not help but formulate his own theories about the real reason you were here. Why fight him? Why show your power to no one other than his dreaded father?

Had Todoroki allowed his father to explain who you were for the slightest moment, perhaps, his thoughts wouldn't have morphed into such a toxic, raging storm.

But, in any way, Todoroki's tunnel vision wouldn't have allowed him to accept that Endeavor saw anyone as other than a tool for his own success.

Therefore, you had come to his house because there was something to be gained. And Todoroki was certain that there were far superior training partners than you, who Endeavor could have perfectly arranged for him to fight with.

As Endeavor gestured you to come closer to them, Todoroki shot him a glacial glare.

Although you wanted to laugh the awkwardness off and leave, you gulped and ploughed on to make sure you didn't let this great opportunity go to waste.

Despite the fact that you could tell that they didn't have the closest father-son relationship, your heart sank when Todoroki outright refused to fight you.

"Wait, Todoroki," you said, as he stood up to leave.

"I am not my father. Whatever he promised to you is on him, not me."

"Shoto, come back in this instant," Endeavor growled. "You're not only wasting my time but also (y/n)'s. She's come a long way to be here today. Be a man and face her."

"You need to stop making decisions about my life. Then, you won't let other people down." Todoroki gritted his teeth. When he looked at you, almost apologetically, you tilted your head to the side. Yet he just left, without another bitter word.

Even though he was a stranger to you, you felt like you couldn't be angry at him. The whole situation left a hollow feeling inside you as you pondered on what had gone so wrong to make Todoroki hate his father so much.

You weren't a fan of Endeavor yourself, due to what his reckless behaviour had done to your father. However, you couldn't imagine who you would be without the kindness with which your father had brought you up.

You pushed your bag that contained your fighting gear up your shoulder, deciding that it would be best if you left. "Um, excuse me, Endeavor. I'm leaving now, but thanks for having me today."

"I apologise for my son's behaviour. He's going through a rebellious phase."

---

Before walking back to the train station, you visited your father at the hospital. It was near the Todoroki household, so it didn't take you long to get there. Against all odds, a nurse told you that the doctors were hopeful that he would be waking up soon, as there were signs that the swelling in his brain had reduced. You were extremely grateful to them, and it still amazed you how many of them used their healing quirks to help the burnt skin on his arms heal. Even then you realised that when your father woke up, he probably would be unable to do the job he loved. Tears threatened to escape your eyes, but you didn't want to cry in front of him. You wanted to be strong and to be there for him.

All those pent up emotions hit you at the wrong time. You were nearing the busy train station when you heard a vaguely familiar voice call your name.

"Hey, (y/n), hold on," said Todoroki as he ran up to you.

"W-what are you doing here? Sorry, I..." You rubbed the tears off your face with your sleeves and pretended that everything was fine. Your (e/c) eyes were puffy and red, proving otherwise.

"Why are you crying?"

"No, I'm not."

Todoroki didn't pry again, but he grabbed your wrist to stop you from walking away. His cold touch sent shivers down your spine while the midday sun stood tall in the cloudless sky of this chilly winter's day.

"Please, don't," you said. "It's no worries, Todoroki. I've got a train to catch."

Todoroki retracted his hand as if he'd been burnt. "I'm sorry about today, (y/n). I thought my father was trying to set us up for... something else. I now know that you came to my house because you're hoping to become a hero."

You wiped the last of your tears, admittedly embarrassed that Todoroki had seen you in this state, but also moved by his measured words. "Yes, I'm going to be a hero one day, even without your dad's stupid recommendation."

Todoroki nodded, keeping his composed posture. "I guess I'll see you at U.A."

"You bet." A warm feeling flooded your chest as you smiled at him. Even though he was quite cold in his manner, he had made an effort to come and apologise to you. It was difficult to blame Todoroki, especially when you noticed the edges of his mouth turn into a guarded grin. An announcement came through the station's speakers: your train was about to depart. You said goodbye to Todoroki and hurried off, the warm feeling lingering in your chest.